Yusuf M. Hassan writes political commentary on Somalia and the Horn of Africa. He previously worked as a managing editor for a Somalia-based media group and as a policy researcher for civil society organizations. He has also held senior roles as a government communications adviser and as a country director for an international development organization. His writing has focused on federalization and constitutional governance, democratization and elections, media freedom, and advocating for leadership, policy and institutional reforms. CNN and the New York Times have interviewed him on Somali affairs, and his work has appeared in the Detroit Free Press, Global Post, Fair Observer and African Arguments.